A connector part of this type can be designed, for example, as a charging plug for charging an electrically operated vehicle (also referred to as electric vehicle). In this context, this type of connector part can be used, for example, to transmit a charging current in the form of a direct current or an alternating current.
A connector part of this type comprises a housing having a plug-in portion which can be plugged into a mating plug-in portion of the mating connector part in an insertion direction and which is connected to the mating plug-in portion of the mating connector part when in a connection position. At least one electrical contact element is arranged on the plug-in portion and is connected to a mating contact on the mating connector part when the connector part and the mating connector part are connected. A locking element is moveably arranged on the housing and is used to interlock the connector part with the mating connector part when the connector part and the mating connector part are connected. A switch device is also provided and comprises a switch portion, which can be actuated when the locking element is moved, for controlling a current flowing over the at least one contact element.
In an electric vehicle charging plug known from DE 196 50 099 C2, a locking lever is pivotally arranged on a housing. When in a connection position, in which the charging plug is plugged into an associated charging socket, the locking lever locks the connection in such a way that the charging plug cannot be released from the charging socket without unlocking the locking lever. The aim of this is, in particular, to prevent the charging plug from being accidentally removed from the charging socket during a charging operation and thereby possibly interrupting a charging operation.
The charging plug in DE 196 50 099 C2 comprises a switch device in the form of a microswitch that is actuated when the locking lever is unlocked. The microswitch is connected to a control circuit, which controls the flow of current over contact elements of the charging plug depending on the locking position of the locking lever. If the locking lever is unlocked, a relay of the control circuit is opened, and so a flow of current is stopped.
In the charging plug in DE 196 50 099 C2, the locking lever acts on the microswitch. Generally, microswitches of this type have low tolerances in terms of the construction of their switching point, and so it must be ensured that the microswitch is actuated sufficiently reliably when the locking lever for unlocking is actuated. With existing component tolerances of the locking lever and the housing of the charging plug (which are produced as injection moulded plastics parts, for example), this may not be easy to ensure in some cases.